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Imperial Line
Introductory paragraph goes here. Founding of the Line The first Empress did not age a day after she took the throne, but her servants noticed gradual changes in her as she passed her 150th year of age. She became less aggressive and the choices she made were slower than they had become accustomed to. She became more merciful toward those who wronged her or went against the Empire, and she completely stopped making public examples of those who tried to attack her. Unprepared for her mental decline, her most faithful followers and servants began to panic. A few loyal servants were frightened, and gathered and spoke with each other at length. After a week of fevered discussions, they agreed on a plan to ensure the Empress would continue to rule, even if it meant she herself would be buried. They performed an unspeakable act on their Empress multiple times, and within twenty years, they had a large collection of heirs ready to try to inherit-- all training or trained as best each servant could manage, to be just like their mother in every way. Another five years, and they told all of the children (from twenty-four at the oldest to seven at the youngest) about their sisters and mother, and how there were many obstacles in their path to ruling the land. The girls assassinated each other for the sake of determining which was most cunning, and the last one living quietly stole the throne and sent her mother, the Holy Empress Julianna, into a grave dug deep below the castle. The techniques learned by each of the servants as they raised the girls in isolation were discussed and then combined into the current rearing methods after the third Empress took the throne, recorded in a massive tome alongside the List of Imperial Names. The final page of the book lists each servant's name, followed by a note of "May the Empress forgive us." These servants-- primarily People-- attempted to use the Fortmen's methods of discovery, and though they did discover many helpful methods of Princess-rearing, they failed to isolate the variables, and each generation has been slightly different from the last as they still work to fine-tune their methods. Continuation of the Line Rearing Heirs Once a child is born, she is immediately bathed and checked for health and appearance (brown hair and eyes and specific facial features), then spirited from the castle by a single Person for rearing in a hidden, isolated location. This Person is her steward, and will serve her throughout her life. He or she raises her following a specific method of diet, exercise, massage, and education to encourage the body and mind to grow in the exact way Julianna grew. Morning involves a breakfast high in fat-- eggs, meat, buttered toast, preserves, fruit, and a small fish. For a drink, she is given a tall drink of milk. Next is a massage of the chest, buttocks, belly, and legs. to encourage growth, followed by back exercises to ease the weight burden when it comes. Play time follows, and they are given pretty toys that involve stones and pretty cloth, all in pink. Noon begins with fish, fowl, or an animal steak baked in butter and herbs with a side of buttered and salted vegetables. For a drink, she is given a tall drink of milk again. After lunch, she naps. During the afternoon, she is taught that she is the Empress, the history of the Empire, numbers, letters, and how to manage the land without plunging the Empire into crisis. She is not taught about her own body, except that she must look like an Empress, or she will die before she can sit on her throne. She is also taught ruthlessness when doling out punishments. How to kill others and protect herself is included in the lessons, though skill varies by child, and in this, they are allowed individuality. Dinner is another large meal similar to breakfast, but with larger portions, no eggs, and a sweet dessert afterwards if she has been good in her studies. Her evening is given to her as time to herself until nearly bedtime. Before bed, she is bathed thoroughly and massaged over her whole body, with scented oils rubbed into her skin and hair. She is given another dessert, dressed in clothes to ward off cold in the night, and then given one last massage of her chest before she is tucked in and told a story of Imperial triumph until she goes to sleep. Any steward who makes sexual advances or allows himself to become aroused around his charge will be put to death and replaced. Any heir who cannot act and look like the Empress (including changing her coloration and ability to grow hair) when she is being observed will also be executed. This routine continues until all of the heirs are five years or older. Inheriting the Throne When each heir is five or older, their stewards agree on a date, and on that day, they tell their charges about the existence of the others, and how her mother will not die until there is only one heir left. Each girl is given the weapon she is most proficient with and a map as a gift, and told they may do as they like from lunch until dinner. Lessons are moved to what was once play time, and naps are eliminated. Afternoons are used by the girls to hunt down the rest of the heirs. Some sneak out at night against their stewards' wishes. The stewards keep track of which girls perish when, and either suicide in grief or return to their former duties after their heir dies. The steward whose charge survives moves into the castle with her when she kills the Empress and takes the throne. The two may discuss a new routine once there. Conception of Heirs Around two hundred years after her birth, the Empress begins to get gaps in her memory from being drugged. During these periods, she is bound and bred to high-performing soldiers who are told they will be sent to expand the Empire. Instead, the soldiers are brought to the castle and taken to a room where the Empress is held, and told they must copulate with her. Any abuse of this right is met with instant death, and all of the men are killed quietly once their duty is filled, to prevent knowledge from spreading. Because of her weight, the Empress will show little signs of her pregnancy outwardly that cannot be disguised. When time comes for birthing, she is heavily drugged, and the child is spirited away before she ever knows she gave birth. She will give birth until she has ruled for two hundred years (about fifteen years, average), and has at least ten heirs. After this, she will resume ruling as normal while they are reared. Once the process begins, the Empress has approximately twenty years to live before she is assassinated by one of her daughters. Males In the entire history of the Imperial line, no male born has survived more than three days after birth (if they survive pregnancy and birthing before that), even with aid from stewards and nurses. The common theory is that the Empire itself rejects the males, despite them being the ideal mate for an Empress. Each male child does recieve an Imperial name and burial in the Imperial Catacombs with full respect, though. Imperial Appearances As young children, the heirs have button noses, bow-shaped lips, round faces, round eyes, and are slightly heavy. They have brown hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. Once they reach adulthood or take the throne, they should have breasts as large (or larger) than their heads, pink hair, pink eyes, no body hair, round bellies, and thick thighs and hips. They should have little to no visible muscle, though it's allowed on her back. The breasts and coloration are the most important parts of this imperial appearance, because they are both unnatural. The colors show any looking at her that she is above the rest of the world, and her breasts signify that she is the true ruler, whose breasts were often described before the rest of her due to their size. Imperial Names Imperial Names are recorded in a large book, and each name is derivative of "Julianna"-- even the male names. Names inside the book that are crossed out were used on members of the family in the past, and cannot be used again unless all of the names are taken. New names may be written inside as they are invented.